Partizip 2 als Adjektiv — Past Participle (Partizip II) as an Adjective
🎯 Lesson Objectives
- Use Partizip II as an adjective before a noun: das gelesene Buch, die reparierte Uhr.
- Understand its meaning: a completed event or a passive sense (the action was done to it).
- Distinguish it from its sibling Partizip I (the active, ongoing meaning).
- Decline it with the normal adjective endings according to gender and case.
📚 Core Rule
Take the Partizip II of the verb (exactly as in Perfekt), then decline it like any adjective before the noun:
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Verb | lesen → Partizip II: gelesen |
| Adjective + noun | das gelesene Buch — the book that has been read |
Meaning: The Difference from Partizip I
| Partizip I (-end) | Partizip II | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | active / happening now | passive (the verb acted on it) or completed |
| Example | das lesende Kind — the child who is reading | das gelesene Buch — the book that has been read |
📌 Transitive verbs (with an object) → passive sense: das geöffnete Fenster — the window that has been opened (someone opened it). 📌 Movement / change-of-state verbs that form their perfect with sein → completed sense: der angekommene Zug — the train that has arrived, das aufgestandene Kind — the child who got up. 📌 The formation of Partizip II itself (ge-…-t, ge-…-en, -iert, separable verbs) is explained in detail on the Partizip Perfekt page linked below.
✅ Declension Before the Noun (after der/die/das)
| Example | Case and gender |
|---|---|
| der gelesene Text | Nominativ Maskulin |
| den gelesenen Text | Akkusativ Maskulin |
| die reparierte Uhr | Feminin |
| das geöffnete Fenster | Neutrum |
| die gekauften Karten | Plural |
| ein repariertes Fahrrad | after ein (mixed declension) |
✅ Examples in Sentences
- Das gelesene Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. — The book that has been read is lying on the table.
- Die reparierte Uhr geht wieder. — The repaired clock works again.
- Der angekommene Zug hatte zwanzig Minuten Verspätung. — The train that arrived was twenty minutes late.
- Wir wohnen in einem renovierten Haus. — We live in a renovated house.
- Sie zeigt mir die gemachten Fotos. — She shows me the photos that were taken.
🔗 The sibling page: for a direct comparison between the active meaning (Partizip I) and the passive meaning (Partizip II), see the Partizip 1 als Adjektiv page in the links below.
📖 Related Lessons
📝 Interactive Exercises
✏️ Choose the correct form according to the meaning in brackets (A or B):
| # | Sentence | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | das ___ Buch (lesen — already read) | lesende | gelesene |
| 2 | die ___ Uhr (reparieren — repaired) | reparierte | reparierende |
| 3 | das ___ Kind (schlafen — sleeping right now) | schlafende | geschlafene |
| 4 | der ___ Zug (ankommen — has arrived) | ankommende | angekommene |
✏️ Fill in the blank with Partizip II plus the correct adjective ending:
| # | Sentence | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Das ___ Fenster ist kaputt. (öffnen) | |
| 2 | Ich habe den ___ Text nicht verstanden. (lesen) | |
| 3 | Die ___ Tickets sind für morgen. (kaufen) | |
| 4 | Sie zeigt mir ein ___ Foto. (machen) |
✏️ Match each verb to its correct Partizip II:
| # | Verb | Partizip II |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | lesen | |
| 2 | reparieren | |
| 3 | öffnen | |
| 4 | verkaufen |